THE SADDLERS will be without the services of Michael Ricketts for the next three games after he was red carded in our Carling Cup defeat at the hands of Darlington. "Losing Michael is obviously a big blow to us," said manager, Jimmy Mullen. "He's a quality player and finisher, as he proved with his goal on Tuesday night, but we have other options available to us.

"I could, of course, bring someone in but we also have a number of options already here. The likes of Troy Deeney, Alex Nicholls and Ishmel Demontagnac could all partner Jabo Ibehre, whilst Marco Reich is a very good footballer who can play in a number of different positions.

"We have enough quality within our ranks to compete effectively at this level."

Dwayne Mattis is edging ever nearer to a return to fitness after sitting out the first two games with a knee problem, whilst Stephen Roberts is expect to be okay after limping out of Tuesday evening's game with a calf injury.

Meanwhile Rhys Weston is stepping up his recovery after missing the entire pre-season.